One Last Chance
by Pink Blackberry Girl
Summary: Rory is trapped in an endless cycle with her abusive boyfriend, Michael. When she meets Logan, will she finally have the courage to end the relationship, or will she be too blind to see what's really going on and give him just one last chance? Rogan. AU.
1. Prologue: Falling in love

**A/N:** This is pretty AU, but I promise, it will eventually be Rogan. It's a little different from what I usually write, but I like it, and I hope you all do to. I have most of the story written, so updates should come about once a week. This is just the prologue, the rest of the chapters are much longer. A big thanks to Fluf, she is amazing and helped me a lot with this story. Don't forget to review!

**Disclaimer:** As much as I wish I did, I do not own Gilmore Girls.

**Backstory: **This is set right after "The Party's Over" when Dean breaks up with Rory, only she has never met Logan. Instead, Rory meets Michael, who she belives is the man of her dreams.

* * *

**Prologue**

**Falling in Love**

It was a cycle, an endless, broken sequence of events, like a scratched CD on repeat - the melodies were soft and beautiful, but the constant skipping ruined the vibe.

It hadn't always been that way.

_Her eyes filling with tears, Rory headed back to the house, each step a little slower than the last, trying to buy as much time as she could. She didn't want to be seen like this, but she had no where else to go. Dean had broken up with her, leaving her all alone, and she didn't understand why. She was sure they were meant to be, he had told her they were going to be together forever. Didn't he mean it? Didn't he love her? Rory tried to choke back the tears, which were now coming at an increasing pace. Sometimes it was good to just let it all out, but now wasn't the place. She couldn't do this here, at her grandparent's house, in front of all those people. She would never live it down._

_Pulling the curtains back, Michael looked out from the window, watching her ever move. He had seen the whole encounter, and his heart ached for the her. Michael had met Rory many times before, his parents were friends with Richard and Emily, but they had never really been that close. The occasional chit-chat here and there was required between the two of them at regular events, but they had never pushed their relationship to anything beyond that. Watching her from a distance over the years, he always thought Rory was perfect and had gained a great sense of admiration or her, seeing her like this was not something he was used to, and that seemed to pull him to her even more. _

_No one else had seen it happen, and he could tell that she wasn't ready to come inside quite yet, so he slipped passed the rest of the party-goers and met her outside. _

_Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, and she welcomed him right away. She craved comfort, even if it was from someone she hardly knew. _

_They stood in silence, holding each other tight, her crying into his comforting arms, she quickly soaked his shirt with her tears. Michael soothingly stroked her hair, telling her everything would be alright and whisperering conforting words into her ear. When she was ready, he wiped the tears from her eyes, and they headed back into the house, arm in arm, Michael supporting Rory as she leaned on him. _

_He led Rory back inside, into the study, and she fell into his arms once again. She was weak and vulnerable, and he was something strong to lean on. Her head was spinning with confusion, her surroundings were nothing but blur. Rory looked up into his eyes, and started to pull away. It just wasn't right, especially not in her grandfather's study. She started to speak, to protest, but before she could say a word, he pressed his mouth to hers, his hands grazing lightly over her reddened cheeks. _

_"I don't..." Rory muttered, her blue eyes still swollen with tears. But Michael quickly cut her off, wrapping his arms around her, leaning down to kiss her again. She didn't fight it this time, her body melting in his as she deepened the kiss, fully aware that there was no going back now._

From that day on, Rory and Michael were inseparable, practically attached at the hip, they were so perfect for each other it was sickening. He was her knight in shining armor, and she was the perfect girlfriend - smart, witty, and beautiful.

From afar they appeared to be the perfect couple, it was the kind of fantasy every girl dreams about, but the rest of the world only saw half of the story. From behind closed doors the sugary sweet fairytale quickly turned into a heartbreaking nightmare, spiraling downward and heading straight for the bottom.

* * *

_"Never frown, even when you are sad...because you never know who is falling in love with your smile."_


	2. Chapter 1: Mistakes

**A/N:** So, here's the first chapter. Like I said, it's much longer than the prologue, but it's personally not my favorite. If you don't like it, keep reading anyway, it does improve over the next few chapters. I will update again in about a week. Thanks to fluf for all of her help, and to all of you for all your amazing reviews!

**Disclaimer:** Once again, I do not own Gilmore Girls.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Mistakes**

"I'm sorry, Rory, it was a _mistake_!" He pleaded with her, begging her for forgiveness. It was the first time he had admitted to cheating on her, and Rory didn't know how to handle such a thing. But it wasn't the first time lately that he'd done something out of line, Michael had been having mood swings lately - one minute he was the sweet, caring boyfriend that she fell in love with, and the next he was screaming and yelling at her, controlling her every move, and getting mad at her for the tiniest of mistakes. It was driving her crazy.

Rory knew it was wrong, and at there were times when it got so out of hand that she almost considered ending the relationship, but she couldn't break away from him. Sometimes she fought back, causing yet another argument between them, but most of the time she would just let it pass, hoping things would be back to normal soon so that they could get on with their lives. But nonethless, the fighting had only increased, his temper had grown worse, and he was reaching new levels with his latest scandal.

Maybe it was because she felt like she owed him, maybe it was because she truly loved him, but either way, she still couldn't gather the courage to leave with him, and the day turned out to be like any other that they spent together. There was fighting, screaming, name calling, swearing, and accusations, but in the end, they both knew they would forgive each other. Or rather _she_ would forgive_ him,_ after all, Rory never did anything wrong. She was the perfect girlfriend, right? But, nonetheless, it was inevitable.

It was the way the cycle worked.

"It was not just a mistake, Michael! I..I don't know if I can forgive you," Rory told him, the tears welling in her eyes.

"But Rory, I love you!" Those three words, those three magical words, seemed to get him out of any situation. When he locked his eyes with hers, held her hands with his, and said "I love you" in that sweet tone of his, filled with emotion and sincerity, it was like she had no other choice. He had her wrapped around his finger, and that was just the way he liked it.

"If you love me so much, then why'd you do it? Why did you sleep with her?" She questioned, droplets of water starting to drip down her face, her voice quavering as she angrily threw her hands up in the air, her voice cracking as she chocked back the tears, "Why would you do that to someone you love?"

"Shh, Rory, don't cry," Michael swiftly pulled Rory into his arms, and held her tight, gently stroking her gleaming hair as tears of anger and frustration rolled down her reddening cheeks, "You know I didn't mean it. You know I love you."

"I know," She whispered as he continued to hold her, rocking her back and forth. He kissed her forehead as she pulled away and looked at the clock, she had to leave for work in just a few minutes or she would be late. "Michael, I have to go, but I'll call you later."

"Alright," He answered as he let her go, kissing her cheek, "What time do you think you'll be home? Do you think you could get back by five?"

"I don't know," Rory responded, thinking about it for a second as she wiped the tears from her eyes, taking a deep breathe to calm down her shaking body, "I was going to stay late today because..."

"I don't think today's a good day to stay late, you should really try to be home by five," his tone was low and steady, some would even call it demanding.

"Of course," She agreed as she obediently nodded her head and snatched her purse off of the table, not wanting to start a fight. Keeping her face stern and focused, she swung the door open, once again struggling to rationalize his out of control behaviors and pushing away any thoughts she had that he had meant to hurt her.

...

Rory sat at her desk, all thoughts of that mornings events hidden in the back of her mind as she tried to forget them and move on. She looked down at the stack of papers she had in front of her, trying to figure out how she could possibly manage to accomplish all the tasks she had been assigned in one day. She started to sift through the large stack when the phone rang, sending her back into reality as she swiftly reached for the phone and pulled it to her ear.

"Hello," Rory answered, swiveling in her chair.

"Hey, Rory, it's me," Michael said on the other end as a slight smile grew on Rory's face. He sounded like he was in a good mood, happy even, and excited to speak with her. That had to count for something, didn't it?

"What's up?" Rory asked as she pushed away the papers in front of her and relaxed a little.

"I just wanted to call to say hi and see how you are doing," Michael told her sweetly, "I love you, and I'm really sorry."

"I love you, too," She replied, "And don't be, all is forgotten. I know you haven't gotten much sleep the last few nights, and we all know how you get without your beauty sleep."

"Okay, thanks. And I promise I'll make it up to you later. See you tonight," Michael told her.

"Five o'clock," Rory assured him, the smile still on her face, "I've got work to do now, though, I'll talk to you later."

"Goodbye, Rory," He whispered as she hung up the phone. Rory turned to focus her attention back on her work when her coworker, Andrea, opened up her door.

"Was that the boyfriend?" The blonde girl questioned as Rory nodded her head yes, "How are things with you two?"

"Good," Rory responded blankly as she sifted her hands through the intimidating stack of papers in front of her.

"Really, weren't you just complaining about him yesterday?" Andrea smirked, leaning against the wall.

"We made up," Rory added coolly as Andrea gave her a disapproving glare, "What? He apologized, it was stupid anyway."

"Whatever," Andrea rolled her eyes, "Hey, do you want to do something later? Some of us were going to go get something to eat after work, I thought maybe you'd like to come."

"Sorry, no can do," Rory replied as she gave her friend an apologetic smile, sliding the papers away from her and placing her fingers on the keyboard, hoping to end the conversation.

"Oh, come on, Rory!" Andrea begged, "Please? It'll be fun, and besides, you never come out with us anymore."

"I know, I'm really sorry," She apologized, "I've been really busy. And I can't come out tonight because Michael wants me to be home early. I think he has something planned."

"Ugh, you are always running home to him," Andrea complained, "It's like he doesn't want you to have any fun!"

"'Drea, you know I love going out with you guys, tonight's just not a good night," Rory smiled weakly, "Next time, I promise."

"I'm holding you to that," Andrea declared as she walked out of the room.

...

Rory was rushing back to her car, her arms full of papers and files she needed to take home piled on top of each other. She tried her best to stay clear of innocent bystanders, but hardly able to see anything two feet in front of her, she rammed into an unknown person, sending the files flying everywhere.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Rory apologized as she bent down and began to frantically pick up the mess.

"No, it's fine," The man said as he began to help her. Rory pushed her hair out of her face and looked up, their eyes meeting for a second. Pulling up the last paper off the ground, she stood up as he handed her the files that he had picked up. "I'm Logan Huntzberger," He introduced himself as she reached out his arm and shook her hand as Rory skillfully balanced the mess in her other arm.

"Rory Gilmore," She muttered, blushing slightly as she struggled to keep her balance, her hair blowing in the harsh fall winds.

"Here, let me help you with those," Logan kindly offered as he reached out to carry them for her.

"No, I've got it, thanks," Rory rejected him as she tried to press passed him and get to her car as fast as she could. She wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone, and she needed to be home soon.

"Really, you look like you're having trouble, let me help," He insisted. Reluctantly, she gave in, and handed the stack over to the stranger, giving him a thankful smile.

"You really didn't have to do this," She told him as they walked together, her arms folded across her chest as she shivered from the cold air blowing past her.

"I wanted to help," He winked, "Where's your car?"

"Just over there," Rory pointed just a few feet out in front of her. "Thanks for the help, it was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too," Logan replied as he gave her back her large stack, "Gilmore, that name sounds familiar. Ah, I got it, any relation to Richard and Emily Gilmore?"

"Yes, actually, my grandparents," She told him, "You know them?"

"My parents, actually," Logan explained, "But I've met them on a few occasions."

"Well, thanks again," Rory smiled as she opened up the car door and shoved the papers and her purse onto the passenger seat. She stood back up, and took a quick look at her watch. "Crap," She muttered under her breath.

"Something wrong?" He questioned.

"I was supposed to be home by five, it's five fifteen now," Rory explained, starting to panic, "I've got to get back."

"Jeez, you sound like a teenager with a curfew. What could possibly be so important that you have to be home by five?" Logan wondered as he watched her suddenly become tense and frantic, her eyes widening as she grew more and more anxious.

"Oh, its just my boyfriend is expecting me, I think he had something planned," Rory rambled, giving off a quick excuse that was at least party true as she quickly closed the car door and started to turn to walk around to the driver's side, desperately wanted to hop in her car and leave.

"Ah, I see," Logan sighed, "Well, then I won't keep you any longer. Again, it was nice meeting you. I guess I'll see you around, then?"

"Yeah, I guess you will," Rory agreed as she smiled at him once again before rushing away.

...

Rory slowly crept through the front door, trying to be as quiet as she could. Maybe he won't hear me, or maybe he won't remember, she hoped as she gently closed the white, wooden door behind her and slid into the room.

"Where were you?" Michael asked. He was sitting in a chair in the living room, drinking a beer, waiting for her. Rory jumped back, startled by his sudden appearance.

"I'm sorry, things were really busy today, I.." Rory tried to explain, racking her brain for a reasonable explanation as she dropped off her files and her purse on a table by the entrance.

"I told you to be home by five," Michael said sternly as he stood up and walked over to her, the anger in his voice almost sending chills down her spine.

"I know, I'm sorry," She apologized again, her voice quavering as she tried to think of a better, more acceptable, excuse.

"What if I had had something special planned for you?" He asked, his voice rising ever so slightly.

"It's only five thirty, I'm not that late, and again, I just got caught up with work, and I told you today was going to be busy for me..." Rory said, her voice little and weak compared to his. Michael pounded his fist onto the table next to him, startling Rory, her body starting to shake. "I'm sorry..."

"Just don't let it happen again," Michael instructed sternly, his eyes glaring down at her. Then he took a deep breathe, his body loosening as he calmed himself down. They stood in silence for a moment as he regained his composure. Meanwhile, Rory forced herself to do the same. He probably just had a bad day at work, and was taking it out on her, it happens to everyone she reminded herself. After taking another breathe, a small, apologetic smile started to creep back onto his face, "Let's just forget about it. Come on, I made dinner. It's your favorite."

"Thank you," Rory muttered, shifting away from him slightly and wiping a single tear from her rosy cheek. She had no desire to be near him, in fact she just wanted to curl up in bed and go to sleep, but she knew it would only make matters worse if she tried to leave. Besides, he seemed to have calmed down.

"Come on, lighten up," He laughed as he pulled her in for a quick hug and ushered her into the kitchen where a homemade dinner was waiting for her. Sighing, she obediently smiled and sat down at the kitchen counter as things slowly fell back into place.

...

The next morning was a good morning, there had been no fighting and Rory and left Michael with a kiss on the cheek as he promised to never cheat on her again, claiming it was just a one time mistake. She thought that maybe that meant things were getting back to normal, and that his mood swings were only temporary due to stress at work. That must be it, Rory thought to herself, once again rationalizing everything.

She slung her purse over her shoulder and buttoned up her jacket as she stepped out of her car and began to walk to her office, preparing herself for another busy day. Out of the corner of her glistening eyes, she spotted a familiar face. He started to walk over to her, and she politely stopped and waited for him.

"Look at that, we get to work at the same time, too," Logan laughed as he stood beside her, his hands shoved into his pockets.

"Quite the coincidence," Rory agreed briskly. Her tone suggested that she was in a hurry, Logan quickly caught on.

"That it is," Logan smiled, "Well, I won't keep you. It was nice seeing you again, Rory."

"You too," Rory told him, quickly turning to leave.

Logan did the same, and whisked around and started to head in the opposite direction to his building. At the last second he changed his mind and quickly turned around to catch her before she got too far away, "Hey, Rory?" He questioned as she whipped her head around, their eyes meeting with each other through the small crowd that had grown between them.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to have coffee or something with me sometime?," Logan suggested with a sly smile on his face, "Just as friends, I promise."

"Sure, I'd like that," Rory agreed. She walked away with a wide smile spread across her face, the cold wind blowing against her body as she continued on her way.

* * *

_"Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to."_


	3. Chapter 2: Lucky Guys

**A/N:** So, I REALLY appreciate reviews. They motivate me. Want me to keep writing? Review! (yes, it's that simple) Also, if you haven't checked out my one-shot "Stuck" yet, you really should. Hey, you know what would make me really happy? Do you guys remember my story "You're her brother?" Well I'm only THREE reviews away from 400, so if you haven't read/reviewed it yet, you should. Because 400 was always my goal, and I'm soo close...

Also, for this chapter, italics are flashbacks.

**Disclaimer:** As per usual, I do not won Gilmore Girls.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Lucky Guys**

Rory woke up curled in Michael's protective arms. As she slowly became more alert, the memories of the days before and the thoughts of him cheating on her and yelling were flooding back into her head. Sitting up, she gently pushed his arms off of her. He had seemed fine yesterday, but still, she didn't need that right now.

Quietly getting out of bed, she looked over at her Michael, sound asleep, and contempleted whether or not she wanted to wake up him. Nah, she though to herself, he didn't have to be up for a few more hours anyway, and who knows how he might respond to being rudely awakened before he needed to be.

_Tangled in Michael's arms, Rory's eyes fluttered open, a smile spread across her face as she looked over at his peaceful, sleeping body. She gently kissed the top of his head and quietly pulled herself out of bed and began to get ready for work, it was Michael's day off and she didn't want to wake him._

_As she was making breakfast in the kitchen, she heard a noise from behind her, startling her._

_"Michael, what are you doing up?" Rory questioned him as she spun around, coming face to face with her boyfriend, "I was going to let you sleep in today."_

_"I wanted to say goodbye to my beautiful girlfriend first," He smiled, leaning in as she kissed her on the lips and wrapped his arms around her neck._

_"You should have tried to get some sleep," Rory scolded him, deepening the kiss, "Not that I'm complaining, though."_

Rory stepped in the shower, the warm water falling over her body as she thought about the night before. Michael's mood had remained fairly good with the exception of one small outburst, and they had spent the night watching movies on the couch and eating burnt popcorn. Michael was a terrible cook, one time he had actually set the popcorn on fire, and numerous other equally simple dishes seemed to turn out disastrous. She considered last night's blackened popcorn to be lucky and considerably tasteful.

Coming to the decision that she would just let him sleep and call him later, Rory got dressed, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and ran out the door without giving it a second thought.

...

Rory was sitting at her desk in her office, busily working away when she heard a gentle tap at her door.

"Come in," Rory said as Andrea glided through the door, her bubbily personality showing as she bounced. She had her long, blonde hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, and a wicked smile planted on her face. "Oh, hey Andrea."

"So, Rory," Andrea questioned, "Do you think you can come with us tonight? We are going to try out this totally cool new coffee shop down the street, it just opened last week, and Aaron says its great. There is even supposed to be a live band today."

"Sure," Rory instantly agreed, smiling back, "Just let me know what time."

"Really?" Andrea asked, slightly shocked, pulling her hand up over her gaping mouth, an animated and over dramatic expression on her face, "That easy? You're going to give up that easy? Wow, I never thought I'd see the day..."

"Just wait 'til you see what I have up my sleeve for tonight, you might not be so excited then," Rory joked. Her tone becoming serious again, she added, "I promised you I'd come next time, so yeah, sure, I'll come with you guys. It sounds like fun. But I stand by the fact that no coffee will ever be better than Luke's."

"Fair enough," Andrea agreed, grinning at her best friend. "We'll meet downstairs around 6. Don't be late," She scolded, pointing her finger and squinting her eyes.

"I won't," Rory assured her, spinning around in her chair so she faced her computer again. Laughing, she waved her hand in the air and added, "Now leave me alone, I have work to do."

"Fine, fine," Andrea huffed as she made her way out of the room to the sounds of Rory's fingers clicking against the keyboard.

...

On her lunch break, Rory made her way over to a small deli next to her office, ordering her usual. It had become somewhat of a ritual that she ate their every day, sitting it the same place, ordering the same thing. Rory was a creature of habit, and she liked it that way. As she was paying for her food, she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," Logan laughed as Rory spun around to face him, a hint of excitement and pleasure could be seen in her blue eyes.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I would say that you were stalking me," Rory commented as she grabbed her lunch and sat down at a nearby table, her usual table, but Logan didn't know that.

"Maybe we just have a lot of common," Logan replied as he swiftly pulled out a chair and sat down across from her.

"Maybe," Rory shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee. "So, how come I hadn't seen you before?"

"What do you mean?" Logan asked curiously as he leaned back in the chair, wrinkling his eyebrows. If she weren't in a commited relationship she would have thought it was cute, but she was, and she forced herself not to think that way.

"Well, since we apparently have so much in common, and you work right next to me, and you know my grandparents, how come I haven't seen you around before?" Rory asked him as she took a bit of her usual sandwich.

"I've only been to a few of your grandparents' events, I've just heard quite a bit about them from my parents," Logan told her, folding his hands on the table, "And I just got transferred to this office last week."

"Ah, I see," Rory nodded her head.

"So this boyfriend of yours that you mentioned the other day, have you been together long?" Logan asked casually, though she could detect a slight tone in his voice to suggest he was more interested in her answer a little more than he was showing.

"Nearly four years," She replied coolly, taking another bite of her sandwich as she silently laughed at Logan's subtle change in expression. She doubted he even knew he was doing it.

"Nice," Logan said, playing it off as if he really didn't care, "Lucky guy."

"That he is," Rory smiled, "So what was with the job change?"

"I really just needed a change of scenery," He explained, leaning forward in his chair, "I was getting tired of working so close to my dad, and after my last girlfriend and I broke up, there just didn't really seem like any reason to stay where I was."

"I see," She sympathized, suddenly noticing that Logan hadn't gotten anything to eat yet. "Aren't you going to order anything?"

"So bossy," Logan smirked as he stood up to order his lunch, sitting back down a few minutes later, just as Rory stood up to leave. "What, you're leaving? Already?"

"There is this little thing called a job that I have to get back to, maybe you should stop following me and go back to yours," Rory winked as she stood up from her seat and pulled her purse over her shoulder as she pranced out the door. As soon as she was outside, she ran into Andrea, who grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the sidewalk.

"Who's the hottie?" Andrea questioned as she looked through the window and took another quick look at Logan, "And what happened to Michael being your boyfriend?"

"Michael is my boyfriend," Rory insisted, rolling her eyes. Andrea could be so immature sometimes.

"But who is that?" Andrea asked again as she pointed to the deli, peering over Rory's shoulder as she continued to stare at the blonde inside.

"He's a family friend, and he just got transferred to the building next to ours," Rory explained as she checked her watch, "Listen, my lunch break is almost over, I've got to get back."

"If you insist," Andrea shrugged as she let go of her friend's arm, "Just promise me that tonight you'll tell me all about the hot guy in there."

...

"Okay, you were right, this place is amazing," Rory shouted to Andrea as the large group sat around a table at the coffee shop Aaron had insisted they go to. He always seemed to have the best taste of the bunch.

"The music is great," Ryan, another coworker, commented about the local band that was currently playing.

"And to think you ever doubted me," Aaron said rolling his eyes at his friends that surrounded him.

"We would never doubt you," Andrea insisted, taking a bite of the hamburger she had ordered.

"Are you sure about that?" Michelle questioned as she raised her eyebrows looked over at Aaron.

"Hey!" Aaron pleaded as he playfully hit Michelle's arm.

"Hey, that hurt!" Michelle glared at him jokingly as she gently rubbed her arm and took another sip of her coffee.

"You really should listen to me more often," Aaron added, taking a bite of his bagel.

"I wouldn't go that far," Jamie joked.

"Rory, we haven't seen much of you lately, what's new in your life?" Ryan asked as he turned his attention to a very quiet Rory.

"She's been seeing this really hot guy!" Andrea shouted before Rory had a chance to say anything.

"Shut up, Andrea!" Rory fought back, "I have not! His name is Logan and I ran into him at the Deli today. He knows me grandparents, I was just being nice."

"Sure, sure," Andrea continued to roll her eyes as Rory shot her a death glare.

"In all seriousness, I'm still dating Michael," Rory assured the group, "He made dinner for me the other night, that's why I couldn't go out with you guys."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Jamie stated as she took a sip of her drink.

"I know, he's so great," Rory smiled as she thought about her boyfriend. He really had been fairly sweet the last couple of days. Sure, he had his moments, but overall he seemed to be getting better. Rory continued to tell herself it was just a phase he was going through, forcing herself to believe that that must be the truth, no matter how many times her brain thought otherwise.

"I don't know, I still don't like him," Andrea shrugged, taking another bite of her salad.

"Well aren't you a great friend," Michelle rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her chair, pulling her back and swiftly tying it into a bun.

"Hey, I'm just stating my opinion," Andrea defended herself, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, "And I never liked him."

"I think he's nice, Rory," Jamie insisted as she smiled at her friend.

"Thank you, Jamie," Rory said, "You're my new favorite."

"Hey," Andrea pouted, sticking out her bottom lip and doing her best puppy dog eyes, "I've always been your favorite."

"Things change, my friend, things change," Rory laughed just as the waitress came over to the crowded table.

"How are you all doing, can I get you guys anything else?" The young girl asked as she pulled out her notepad and pen.

"Another round of drinks for all of us," Aaron insisted, speaking for the whole group. A chorus of cheers and agreements quickly followed.

"Actually, count me out," Rory chimed in, "I should go. We've been here for nearly three hours, it's getting late."

"Party pooper," Andrea mocked, sticking her tongue out.

"It amazes me you people ever get anything done," Rory teased back, standing up from the table and grabbing her purse.

"Goodbye, we'll see you tomorrow," Jamie said as she stood up to give Rory a quick hug goodbye. A round of "Goodbye"'s and "See you later"'s erupted as Rory parted from her friends and left the cafe.

...

Rory pulled up the house and stepped out of the car. Quietly, she walked up the front porch steps and opened the front door, she wasn't sure if Michael would be awake or not, he worked odd hours that sometimes required him to go to bed early, and it was already 9 o'clock.

Taking off her coat, Rory set her purse on the kitchen counter and pulled the rubber band out of her hair, letting her wavy brown locks flow down over her shoulders.

Once in the bedroom she noticed that Michael was awake, sitting in bed, waiting for her.

"Where've you been?"

* * *

_"Remember, whatever happens, happens for a reason."_


	4. Chapter 3: Love Notes

**A/N:** I have a challenge for all of you. I got 5 reviews for the last chapter, but I think you guys can do better than that. So, here's the deal, if I get at least 7 reviews this week, I will post the next chapter two days early (aka next Friday) and if I get at least 10 reviews, I will not only post chapter 4 two days early, but I will also give you a special sneak peak into chapter 5. Think you can do it?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gilmore Girls.

* * *

**Chapter 3 **

**Love Notes**

_"Where've you been?"_

His voice was low and stern as he looked up at her and put down the book that he had previously been reading. He had been waiting up for her.

"I went out with a group of friends from work, Andrea and such, didn't you get my message?" Rory answered coolly as she made her way over to the dresser, pulling out a pair of pajamas from the top drawer.

"No, I didn't," Michael retorted, keeping the same tone as before. Rory tried to play it off lightly, he didn't seem like he was in that bad of a mood.

"You should check again," Rory told him, pulling off her jeans as she put on the pair of old gray sweats in her hand.

"Why didn't you call?" He questioned as he pushed himself off of the bed and stood up.

"I figured you'd be busy, I know you have to get up really early tomorrow, I didn't know when you'd be going to bed," Rory replied honestly, "Speaking of which, you should probably get to sleep soon. I know how you are when you go to work tired, and I'm not in the mood to deal with that."

"Don't try to boss me around," Michael told her angrily, his voice deepening just a bit as he took a single step toward her.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, you have an early shift, you know how hard things can be when you are half asleep," Rory reminded him as she walked into the bathroom and began brushing her teeth.

"You didn't wake me this morning," He added as he slowly followed her into the other room.

Rory stood there silently for a minute as she continued to brush her teeth. When she was done, she turned to him and crossed her arms firmly over her chest. "You had a few hours before you had to leave, I wanted you to get as much sleep as possible," She told him. She faked a small smile and walked back into the bedroom, making sure not to bump into him as she passed him.

"You usually wake me up, anyway," Michael stated as he leaned in the doorway, his dark hair falling just short of covering up his luscious brown eyes.

"You don't usually need me to wake you up. You usually wake up on your own, just so you can say goodbye," Rory gritted her teeth as she pushed a tear out of her eye and threw herself onto the bed, burrowing herself in the covers and turning off the lights before Michael had a chance to respond.

...

When Rory awoke the next morning Michael was already gone. This didn't surprise her, as an emergency room doctor he tended to work all hours of the day, and knowing how early his shift was that morning, she knew he must have already left for work without having a chance to say goodbye. She wasn't sure whether this bothered her or not. Maybe it was payback, or maybe he was just being considerate.

Sighing, she forced herself out of bed and began her day. She didn't feel like going to work, but somehow there was just no avoiding that.

After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, she walked into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator, only to find a note stuck to the inside of the door.

_I'm sorry about last night, I didn't mean it, I hope you can forgive me. You seemed so peaceful this morning that I didn't want to wake you, call me when you get to work._

_Love,_

_Michael_

Smiling, Rory pulled off the note and stuck it in her pocket for safe keeping. It was cheesy, but it was cute, and it put a smile on her face. What more could she ask for? She knew he would apologize. He probably just had a rough day at work again, Rory rationalized. As she walked out the door she tried to ignore the voice in her head that seemed to be saying "you can only use that excuse so many times".

...

"Got any plans for this weekend, Rory?" Andrea asked as Rory walked through the hallway to her office.

"Not anything specific, why?" She questioned, stopping for a moment.

"Oh, nothing, we just might have a girls night on Saturday. Nothing official, but the general consensus is pizza, ice cream, and a bunch of cheesy movies that would kill our boyfriends if we made them watch them with us," Andrea explained.

"If you had a boyfriend," Rory joked, mocking Andrea's lack of a love life.

"Ha ha, very funny," Andrea sighed as she turned to walk away, "Call me later and tell me if you're in."

"Will do," Rory assured her as she tossed her hair over her shoulders and continued on her journey to find her tiny office in the giant maze of a building.

Picking up her cell phone, Rory quickly dialed Michael's number and held the phone up to her ear.

"I got your note, you're such a sappy boyfriend," Rory smirked as she turned on her computer.

"I like to think that," Michael replied on the other end.

"Hey, I've got a lot to do today, but I'll call you when I get off of work. We can go out to eat or something," She suggested as she twirled a piece of her hair.

"How about we go to the usual place," Michael suggested, "What time can you get there?"

"7 o'clock is good for me," Rory told him, "You're off work by then, right?"

"Yeah, I am. I'll see you then," Michael smiled, "I love you."

"Love you too," Rory told him as she stepped into her office, "Now get off the phone, you loser, we've both got work to do."

Quickly typing away, Rory heard a familiar knock on the door, and instantly assumed it would be none other than the ever so persistent Andrea here to find out her decision about the girly weekend plans.

"I haven't decided yet so go away, you pushy freak," Rory shouted, neglecting to turn around to even see if she was right about who the stranger standing in her doorway was.

"You talking to me?" Logan questioned, looking around to see if there was anyone else around that she could possible be talking to. "Because I don't recall ever asking you to make a decision."

Startled, Rory spun around in her chair to find Logan standing just a few feet away from her. "How'd you get in here?"

"It is a public building," He reminded her, leaning up against the wall as Rory blushed.

"You have a point," She agreed, "But if you were wondering, I thought you were my friend Andrea. Although, you are pretty pushy."

"Me? Pushy? Nah," Logan waved it off, running his fingers through his golden hair.

"You should really adjust your views on the concept of personal space, I'm currently working on getting a restraining order on you," Rory smirked as she nervously swiveled in her chair.

"Ouch," Logan winced, taking a few steps towards her. "I was actually just here to see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat later, we were cut short last time when you so rudely got up and left."

"Maybe if you had actually invited me to lunch that day I would have stayed for an entire meal," Rory retorted, standing up as well.

"So that's how this is going to work," Logan mused.

"Maybe," Rory smiled, "My lunch break is at 11:30, I'll meet you at the same place as last time."

"I'll be waiting," Logan winked, starting to turn to leave.

"Do you ever actually get any work done?" Rory questioned as she laughed and shooed him out of the room.

"You'd be amazed at my abilities," Logan assured her as she stepped out the door and walked down the hallway as a very amused Andrea stood back and watched.

...

Rory and Logan sat at her usual table at the nearby deli, Rory with the same sandwich as always and coffee and Logan with a turkey sandwich and a coke. He still hadn't figured out that this was _her_ table, but he seemed observant enough that she figured he would figure it out soon.

"You're a pretty cool person, Rory, I can't believe we hadn't met before," Logan told her as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"Only pretty cool?" She questioned as she looked up at him, taking a sip of her coffee.

"We'll see, I haven't quite decided yet," He told her, "You are hot though, I'll give you that."

"You aren't flirting with me, are you Logan? Because you do remember that I have a boyfriend, and you and I are merely friends out on a lunch break," Rory reminded him with a twinkle in her eye.

"Of course not, I would never do such a thing," Logan smirked, taking another bite.

"Sure you wouldn't," Rory joked, her statement falling somewhere between serious and sarcastic.

"Now you know I'm not that kind of guy," He assured her, locking his eyes with hers.

"I never said you were," Rory countered, almost mocking him, "So, tell me something about yourself."

"Like what?"

"Anything, something I didn't know before," Rory explained, resting her back against the slightly uncomfortable metal chair.

"Only if you agree to tell me something about yourself in return," Logan requested.

"Deal," She agreed, a slight smile on her face.

"Alright, so, I have a sister. An older sister, her name is Honor. She's a great girl, a little bit eccentric, you'd like her," Logan said, taking a sip of his drink.

"That's boring," Rory said in response to his statement.

"You just said it had to be something I didn't know, and that is something you previously had no idea about, so therefore I am in the limitations of your request," He smirked.

"Smart ass," Rory quipped, "Fine, then for my fact, I have a sister, too. Well, half sister. Her name is Gigi. I also have a stepsister, April."

"Touche."

Pulling her cell phone out of her purse, Rory checked the time, and was momentarily shocked to realize how fast her lunch break had gone by.

"You know what, I've got to be back to work soon, I'll talk to you later," She assured him as she stood up from the table, slinging her purse over her shoulder and pushed her hair behind her ears.

"Yeah, I should be getting back, too. You know, in case I actually feeling like getting anything done today," Logan agreed as he too stood up from the table. After a quick, slightly awkward hug, the two said their goodbyes and parted, walking back to their respective workplaces.

...

After work Rory came home to an empty house. Michael had to work later than her that day, so they agreed to just meet at the restaurant. It was a local Italian place, one of their all time favorites. In fact, it was were they went on their first "real" date and had been a favorite ever since.

Falling onto the bed, she relaxed for a few minutes, letting her body catch up with her until it was almost time to go. Pulling her favorite black dress from the closet, she changed her clothes, touched up her makeup, threw on a pair of her favorite heels, and ran out the door.

Although she was barely on time herself, Rory found herself to be sitting alone at a table, looking like a completely loser as she waited for her long time boyfriend to show up for nearly forty minutes. She was actually contemplating leaving when he finally ran in the door.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Michael frantically apologized as he pulled out a chair and sat down, "You can't just stop a surgery whenever you feel like it."

"I guess you can't," Rory agreed as she tried to hide her annoyance. It really was a good excuse, and she knew what she was getting into when she started dating a medical student. She would let him get away with it this time.

"I really am sorry," Michael repeated, quickly leaning over to give her a peck on the cheek before opening up his menu, his eyes grazing it up and down as he decided what he wanted to eat. Unlike Rory, he didn't order the same thing every time he entered the same restaurant.

"I know," Rory assured him, smiling. Folding her menu closed, she added, as she always did, "I'm thinking fettuccine tonight."

* * *

_"Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."_


	5. Chapter 4: Broken Promises

**A/N:** For the record, I love you guys :)

I know I said I would update Friday, and technically it is still friday, but thanks to time zones it's actually Saturday for most of you...  
The next chapter should be up either next Friday or Sunday like usual. I will try for Friday, but school is pretty crazy right now.

**Disclaimer:** Gilmore Girls is still not mine.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Broken Promises**

Michael had continued to apologize throughout dinner, and Rory was quick to forgive him, falling slowly into his mesmerizing trap and forgetting all of their recent troubles. They ate, they talked, they laughed, they did everything a good couple would do on a romantic date, and by the time they got home Rory was grinning like an idiot and could hardly even remember what the bad Michael was like.

"Tonight was fun," Rory smiled as she led Michael back into the house, her handentwined with his as they walked back into to their bedroom, "The food was great."

"I agree," Michael said, turning her around as he pulled her into his arms.

"I love you," Rory muttered as she stood up on her tippy toes to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I don't know if I've told you this already, but you look beautiful tonight, Rory," Michael told her as he bent over and captured her lips with his. Quickly melting in his arms, Rory collapsed under him as they fell onto the bed.

...

Still half asleep, Rory rolled over in bed, and begrudgingly glanced at the clock.

"Crap!" She muttered as she quickly shot up and pulled herself out of bed. With all that happened last night, she had forgotten to set her alarm. She had to be at work in twenty minutes. Running around the room, she quickly found an outfit and threw it on. She was so short on time that she failed to get ready quietly, which quickly woke Michael up.

"What are you doing?" Michael grumbled. He was not yet fully awake, but the tone in his low voice still easily detectable.

"Sorry, I slept in," Rory apologized as she quickly applied the only makeup she deemed necessary, "I'm in a hurry."

She finished her makeup in record time and moved on to her hair, which she simply threw up in another ponytail, not bothering to deal with it any more than that.

"I'll call you at lunch, bye," Rory declared as she grabbed her purse of the night stand and started to run out the door, completely forgetting about breakfast.

"What, I don't even get a kiss goodbye?" He questioned playfully as he started to sit up in bed. His tone was light, but if you listened carefully there was a hint of seriousness behind it.

"Of course," Rory agreed as ran back over to him, quickly leaning down and kissing him gently on the lips before standing up to go again, "I love you."

"Love you, too," Michael muttered, turning over, almost ready to fall asleep again. "See you tonight."

...

"You, me, lunch, now," Andrea demanded as she entered Rory's office. Her usually straight blonde hair had a pretty wave to it today, hanging down loosely over her shoulders and blending in perfectly with her pale pink blouse.

"Just one sec," Rory told her. She was sitting at her desk, finishing up typing an email. Reading it over once more, she quickly scanned it for spelling errors and hit the send button. Spinning around, she stood up and looked at her friend, "What's going on?"

"Lunch," Andrea said again, a large grin on her face, "I'm taking you to lunch."

"Really?" Rory questioned, slightly amused by how excited her friend was, "What inspired this idea?"

"I want you to introduce me to that hot blonde guy, and I've noticed that you two have eaten together a lot lately," Andrea replied in a duh tone.

"Logan? We've had lunch twice," Rory corrected her, "And I don't even know if you can count the first time, I ran into him just as I was leaving."

"Sure, sure," Andrea rolled her eyes, "Are you going to introduce us or not? I haven't had a date, in, like, a month."

"Whatever," She smiled, standing up and linking arms with the slightly taller girl as they headed out. She was too happy protest.

...

"I can't believe he's not here," Andrea muttered, the smile dropping from her face as she took another bit of her turkey sandwich.

"You should have known your plan would backfire," Rory smirked, taking a sip from her second cup of coffee, a smile planted firmly on her face, "You had no way of knowing that he would actually be here at the same time as us. Or that he would even come at all. I can't believe you planned so little for this, you usually put so much effort into your schemes."

"Shush, I was too excited to think it through all the way," Andrea told her, "Change of subject. You seem to be in quite the perky mood, what's up?"

"What, a girl can't be happy?" Rory questioned as she tried not to blush.

"Rory, spill," The blonde smiled, "You know you can't hide anything from me."

"Michael and I just had a really great night last night," Rory explained, shrugging it off as she took a bite of her own lunch.

"So, no more fighting?" Andrea asked, her face dropping. Andrea really didn't like Michael, and Rory knew she was disappointed that he was the cause of her giddiness.

"I wouldn't call it fighting, Andrea," Rory told her friend as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "We just hit a rough patch for a while."

"But it's all good now?" She asked again, even less enthusiastic than before.

"We're totally good," Rory beamed, "Now hurry up and eat your food, we have to be back in, like, ten minutes."

"Alright, alright," Andrea sighed as she took one last quick bite of her sandwich before standing up to leave, "Just promise me you'll introduce me to that Logan guy soon, kay?"

"Promise."

...

"Hey, baby," Michael said as Rory picked up her cell phone, holding it close to her ear as she continued to type away on her computer.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked. She was a great multitasker.

"I just wanted to call and say that I'm making dinner tonight, so try to be home by 5:30," Michael told her from the other end of the line, also multitasking as he worked his way around their kitchen. "I promise, it won't even be burnt or anything."

"I wish I could, but I have a meeting, it won't be over until a little after six," Rory told him, stopping her work for a second, "Sorry."

"No big deal, just try to be home as soon as possible," He told her, his voice as sincere as it had been in months, "I'll see you when you get home."

"Alright, love you," Rory forced a smile, even though she knew he could not see her, "Bye."

"Well aren't you a popular one," a familiar voice called out from behind her. Startled, Rory spun around to find a familiar blonde standing just inside her doorway.

"Do I need to get a restraining order?" She shot back, leaning back in her chair.

"It's all pure coincidence, I swear," Logan insisted, taking a step forward.

"You're in my office," Rory pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I guess I am," He muttered, "I actually just came by to see if you could give me directions to your grandparents house."

"Do I dare ask why?" She mused.

"They are throwing some big, important party that my neurotic parents are insisting I attend," Logan explained, "They claim I've been there before, but I really don't remember all that well, and I'd rather not start a fight by asking my parents where it is."

"And I'm the next best thing."

"Exactly," Logan smiled, taking one more hesitant step towards the brunette's desk.

"Here," Rory said as she ripped off the a blank piece of paper from her favorite notepad and started to scribble down the directions to her grandparents' manor, "It's not that hard to find, but if you run into any trouble, you can always call me."

"That would require that I have your number," Logan smirked as she handed over the directions.

"That would, wouldn't it?" Rory blushed, grabbing another paper off her desk, "You can only have it if you promise not to start pranking calling me at one in the morning, I like my beauty sleep."

"Whatever gave you the idea that I would do such a thing?" He smiled, reaching over to take the second paper from her.

"Well, considering the fact that you are already practically stalking me..."

"Someone's paranoid," Logan laughed.

"Well mabye someone has good reason to be," Rory huffed.

"We'll see about that," Logan smirked as he turned to leave, offering a small wave before walking through the door.

Seconds after Logan left, Andrea arrived, quickly seating herself on the extra chair in the slightly cramped office space.

"He comes all the way down here, into this building, in your office, within twenty feet of me, and you don't even think to call me over and introduce us?" Andrea questioned, putting on her best disappointed face.

"Would you rather I have introduced you as the crazy, neurotic woman three doors down or the psychotic stalker whose been lusting after him for days?" Rory questioned as she twirled the pencil in her hand.

"Fine," Andrea sighed dramatically, waving her hand in the air, "Will me to be alone forever."

"Andrea, you're only twenty-seven," Rory reminded her, "You'll find someone eventually. We can't all be as lucky as I am."

"I'll be sure to invite you to the wedding," Her friend promised, "When I'm seventy."

"Drama queen," Rory sang as the young blonde stood up and dragged herself out the door, pouting the whole way. Sometimes, Rory thought to herself, I think she should have gone into acting instead of journalism.

...

Rory finally pushed herself exhausted self through the front door at nearly eleven o'clock. Her supposedly short meeting had ended up lasting nearly four hours, the elevator managed to get itself stuck for almost thirty minutes, and then there was an accident on the freeway on her way home, causing bumper to bumper traffic for most of the never ending drive.

After throwing her bag down on the counter, Rory pulled open the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water, and trudged into the bedroom, her body heavy and about to collapse.

She quickly changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth, trying to be as quiet as she possibly could so she wouldn't wake up Michael. He was probably already pissed about her missing dinner and coming home so late that he was already asleep, it would only make it worse if she disturbed him now.

Sighing, Rory climbed into bed next to him and pulled the covers over her body, instantly falling asleep as soon as her heavy head hit the pillow.

* * *

_"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."_


	6. Chapter 5: Tears and Lonely Days

**A/N: **I was going to try to update this earlier, but I got really sick and it didn't happen. So, here it is now, and you will all make me immensely happy if you review (good or bad, as long as it's helpful) Think you can do that?

**Disclaimer: **Amazingly enough, I do not own Gilmore Girls.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Tears and Lonely Days**

By the time Rory awoke the next morning, Michael was already gone. There was no coffee in the pot, no note on the fridge. He was mad, she could tell.

Trying not to think about it, Rory got ready for work, putting on her favorite pair of slacks and a comfy blue sweater. She decided to leave her hair down, and, as usual, put on very little makeup. Normally she would have made something to eat, but she wasn't hungry.

Andrea had tried to talk to her when she got to work, but Rory wasn't in the mood, so she pushed her away, and successfully managed to hide in her office for the first half of the day.

At lunch, however, luck wasn't on her side. Andrea forced her way through the door, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her out to the diner.

"You can't stay in that tiny little office all day, you need fresh air, " Her friend insisted, dragging her along, "Now are you going to tell me what happened, or do I need to just assume the worst and kill Michael for you?"

"Nothing happened, I'm just tired, that's all," Rory insisted as she begrudgingly followed behind Andrea..

"Yeah," Andrea rolled her eyes. She always blamed Michael for everything, "Right."

"I'm serious, I got home late last night from that meeting, and Michael was already asleep," Rory filled her in, "He was gone when I left this morning. Therefore, I have not seen him. How can I be fighting with some I have not seen? That would be crazy."

"So he is mad at you," Andrea concluded, "And you think you did something wrong."

"I have no idea if he's mad or not, he had a busy day today, so he hasn't called me yet," Rory told her, trying to convince herself at the same time, "I just didn't get home until nearly midnight because of that meeting and the accident on the freeway, I didn't sleep well, and I had to get up at five. I'm cranky, sue me."

"Fine, whatever," Her friend sighed, really wishing it had been Michael. "Just promise me to get some sleep tonight. I don't like this mean, grumpy Rory. Lively, happy Rory is much more fun to be around."

"Fine," Rory smiled a little as the waitress placed their food on the table. Andrea had ordered for her, so Rory reluctantly took a few bites. Realizing how truly hungry she was, she ended up clearing her plate in just a few minutes while Andrea rambled on and told really bad jokes that finally had Rory in a somewhat good mood.

...

Rory tried calling Michael again after lunch. He didn't pick up. Again. In fact, it went straight to his voicemail.

She knew he couldn't just drop everything and answer the phone, he had a job, a job that required he spend a lot of attention caring for patients, and very little time on person issues, but usually he would have found time to call her back by now. Or at least turn his phone on.

How mad at me is he? She wondered. I didn't do anything wrong, Rory reminded herself again as she pushed the thoughts farther back in her mind and went back to her own job, looking for something to distract her.

...

"Well, I'm out for the day, you want to go grab something to eat?" Andrea asked as she made her way into Rory's office once again. After lunch Rory had gone back into her funk, and it was driving Andrea crazy. She had tried to stay away, knowing that all her friend wanted was some time alone, but she couldn't help it anymore, she had to see if there was anything she could do. As much as Rory kept saying she was fine, Andrea could tell she wasn't. After all, it was part of her job as one of her best friends to recognize these things.

"I think I'm just going to go home," Rory sighed as she shut down her computer for the day, "I haven't spent any time in the kitchen in a while, it might be good for me."

"You? Cooking?" Andrea asked, quizzically raising her left eyebrow at her friend. Everyone knew that Rory hated to cook.

"You know I like cooking a little from time to time," Rory protested, "I'm not completely like my mom."

"I always want to believe that, but then I go and spend a few days in Stars Hollow with you and can't help but believe it's all just a lie," The blonde smiled as she relaxed a little and leaned up against the white door frame. After mentioning her mom, Rory realized it had been days since she'd talked to her. Maybe that's what I need to do, she though, I just need to have a chat with my mom. That always fixes everything.

"Still, I think I'll just go home tonight," Rory insisted as she stood up, grabbed her purse, and pulled her arms through the sleeves of her favorite jacket, "Maybe some other time, though."

"Fine, I'll just see you tomorrow then," Andrea agreed as she gave Rory a quick hug goodbye before leaving to gather her own things and go home.

...

"Michael, are you home?" Rory asked as she walked through he front door. Silence. I guess he's not home yet, she thought.

Trying to shake off the feeling that Michael was giving her the cold shoulder her, Rory changed into some more comfortable clothes, and walked into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. She started with a salad, followed by bread, pasta, green beans, and everything else she could thing of. She wasn't particularly fond of half of the things she was cooking, in fact she wasn't particularly fond of cooking in general, but on days like this, it helped relieve some of her stress and gave her something to do with her hands while she waited for Michael to come home.

By the time she was done, he still hadn't returned. Not wanting to eat alone, she wrapped up the meal, and put it in the fridge, planning on heating it up later. _All that work for nothing_, she momentarily thought to herself.

Suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion go through her, she laid down on the couch, telling herself she would only rest for a moment. Within seconds, she was out.

It wasn't until hours later that Rory woke up. There was a loud ringing in her ears that she quickly figured out was nothing other than the phone interrupting what was a perfectly good dream.

"Hello?" She answered groggily as she sat up on the couch and pulled the phone to her ear.

"Try not to sound too enthusiastic, dear, it's only me," Lorelai answered from the other end, her voice sounding particularly chipper.

"Sorry, I just woke up," Rory responded, a little more awake this time.

"It's only 8 o'clock," Her mother responded, "Someone must have had a long day."

"Yeah, the longest," She shrugged even though she knew her mother could not see her from the other end of the phone, "I came home, made dinner, and crashed on the couch."

"You're young," Lorelai told her, "Aren't you supposed to have energy?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rory sighed, "So, what's up? Why'd you call?"

"Does a mother need an excuse to call her only daughter?" She questioned, "What has the world come to?"

"Spill it, mom," Rory urged, "I can tell somethings up."

"Nothing is up," Her mother assured her, "I just felt like calling wonderful daughter, seeing as how we haven't spoken in 6 1/2 days. 6 1/2, I tell you. It's madness."

"I think we've set a new record," Rory smiled as she sat up straighter on the couch, "What do you want to talk about."

"Well, we could talk about how Kirk almost set Luke's on fire," Lorelai smiled, "Or you could simply update me on your life, there must be something interesting going on."

"No, nothing too interesting," Rory told her, "Who would ever let Kirk near something flammable?"

"Okay fine, I did it," Lorelai announced, "I didn't think he would take it that far!"

"You let Kirk near fire?" She asked "Why in the world would you do that?"

"It's all a big misunderstanding, really," Lorelai explained.

"Sure it is," Rory rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't supposed to blow up!"

"There was an explosion too?" Rory shouted, "How did I miss all of this?"

"I told you, it was one really big misunderstanding," Lorelai continued to explain. "And you're the one who hasn't called me in nearly a week."

"That's besides the point." Rory told her, "I need more details, lady."

"And I plead the fifth," Lorelai decided. Rory rolled her eyes. "Change of subject. How's Michael?"

"Oh, he's just, you know, Michael," Rory said, trying to hide how upset she was. She failed.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Who said anything was wrong?" Rory asked as she turned and laid down on the couch and propped her head up with a few pillows.

"A mother knows when something is wrong," Lorelai told her, "It's a gift. Now tell me what's going on, or I will get in my car and drive down their and force it out of you. Or maybe I'll just punch him for you."

"Funny, Andrea offered to do the same thing," She told her mother.

"That bad, huh?"

"No, it's not," Rory told her, "It's not that big of a deal. I just promised I would try to be home for dinner because he was cooking, but then I got caught up in a meeting and traffic and stuff and by the time I got home, he was already asleep. Then this morning, I wake up and he's already gone and he hasn't been answering any of my calls. But it's probably no big deal, he's probably just busy at work, right?"

"I'm sure he is, honey," Lorelai sympathized, "You know how crazy it is at the hospital. I'd give it a little more time, he'll come around. Michael's a great guy, he wouldn't just flat out ignore you for something as little as that. You know he's better than that. Give him time, wait for him to come home, it'll all work out."

"I hope you're right," Rory sighed, "Thanks mom, I really needed to hear that."

"Any time baby, any time," Lorelai told her daughter. "When's he supposed to be home tonight, anyway?"

"The last I heard he was covering for a friend today, so he should be done at about 8:30," Rory told her as she checked her watch again.

"If he's not home by 10, give me a call and I'll kick his ass for you, okay?"

"Got it, mom," Rory said, smiling a little. "I'm sure you're right, anyway. I'm going to go heat up dinner for us, okay? I'll talk to you later, and I expect full disclosure on the Kirk incident."

"Not a chance, you have to work for that kind of in formation," Lorelai told her. "Bye, sweetie."

...

Two hours, three phone calls, and 5 reheated dishes later, Michael still wasn't home.

Disappointed, Rory plopped back down on the couch and turned on the TV. She was hoping the news would say something about heavy traffic that would cause him to get home late, or maybe a big accident that would require him to stay late at the E.R. Sadly, the news said nothing of the sort. Still trying to rationalize, Rory wondered if maybe she had his schedule wrong, maybe he didn't get off until later than she though.

Turning off the TV, Rory stood bak up and walked back into the kitchen. She wasn't hungry anymore, and since Michael still wasn't home, she decided to put all the food back into the refrigerator for the 3rd time that night.

Giving up any hope at all, Rory solemnly made her way into the bedroom and got ready for bed. She put on a comfy t-shirt and checked the clock again: 10:45.

The tears starting to swell in her eyes, Rory picked up the phone and settled herself in bed. Thinking for a moment, she first decided to try Michael again. As she expected, he didn't answer. The tears were coming faster now, and she dialed the phone again, this time she was calling Lorelai.

"Mom," Rory muttered, her voice sounding choppy and almost incoherent as she choked back the tears that refused to stop coming, "He's not coming home."

* * *

_"Nobody is worth your tears, but the one who is won't make you cry."_


	7. Chapter 6: Pancakes and Apologies

**A/N: **I am so so so so so so sorry it took me so long to update! I got really busy, my computer broke (more than once), I moved, and have not had much time for anything lately, let alone writing.

But here I am, better late than never, right?

I'll TRY to update once a week from now on, but that might not always happen.

**Disclaimer: **I would imagine that by now you would have figured it out, but no, I do not own Gilmore Girls. Michael, despite how much I know we all hate him, is totally and completely mine.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Pancakes and Apologies**

_"Mom," Rory muttered, her voice sounding choppy and almost incoherent as she choked back the tears that refused to stop coming, "He's not coming home."_

"Rory, I'm so sorry," Lorelai told her from the other end of the line, wishing she could be there with her daughter - holding her tight and protecting her from harm. "Did you try calling him again?"

"Yeah," Rory managed to say through the tears, "He's still not answering. He was supposed to be home hours ago."

"Well then he's a jerk," Lorelai told her, "And I think you need some sleep. Do me a favor, okay? Go to bed, and call me in the morning. If he's still not back, we'll figure it out then. As for right now, you're tired and not thinking straight. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, mom," Rory told her, already sinking lower and lower into her mattress, "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetie," Lorelai said, still wishing she could be there in person to comfort her daughter, "Whatever happens, it'll all work out in the end."

...

When Rory woke up in the morning, Michael was not in the bed next to her, so she assumed he still hadn't come home. Rubbing her eyes, she pulled herself out of bed, and into the shower. It wasn't until after she was dressed that she heard a noise coming from the kitchen.

As she hesitantly walked through the house she spotted Michael behind the counter in the kitchen, cooking something over the stove.

"Hey, there you are sleepy head," Michael shouted as he motioned for her to sit down, "Pancakes will be ready in just a second."

"What are you doing here?" Rory questioned angrily as she stood firmly in the doorway, her jaw gaping slightly.

"What are you talking about?" He asked as he continued cooking, there were two place settings at the table. Pancakes had always been the one thing he could successfully make. "I live here. I'm making breakfast. And you're obviously in a bad mood."

"Well I have good right to be in a bad mood. How do you think I'm supposed to feel when you ignore me, don't come home, and then act as if everything is okay?" She asked him, her blue eyes raging as she crossed her arms tightly over her stomach.

"What the hell are you talking about, Rory?" Michael asked as he threw down the spatula in his hand. It bounced loudly off the table and flew violently to the ground as he took a few steps towards her, "You know I was working two shifts yesterday."

"Yeah, yeah. You just expect me to believe that you weren't mad at me, you were just working," She shouted, "You left before I even woke up, you didn't answer my calls all day, you were supposed to be off at 8 and you still weren't home when I fell asleep eleven. Stop with the mind games. You were giving me the cold shoulder, and you know it."

"Rory, why would I do that? Why would I be mad at you?" He asked her sympathetically as he took a few more steps.

"I don't know," she told him as she ran her hands through her wavy brown hair, "Because I was late and I didn't call and you told me you wanted me to be home. You were making dinner for us, and I didn't show up."

"I saw the news, there was a big accident," He told her as he continued moving forward and reached out for her hands, "I was never mad at you."

"You weren't?" Rory asked him, a tear streaming down her face as she started to calm down. She took a few deep breaths, and inched closer to his body.

"Of course not," He told her sincerely, clasping her hands with his,"You were just overreacting. My cell died part way through the day yesterday, and I left my charger at home. The only time I had off I used to catch up on some sleep. Another staff member called in sick, so I had to stay even later than I anticipated. I'm sorry I made you worry, though."

"No, it's okay," Rory told him as she stepped forward and pulled him into a tight hug, "I was just being dramatic. I've had a long week too."

"I know you have, baby," Michael whispered as he rocked her back and forth, "Let's go eat before the food gets cold, okay? And then we'll do something together when you get off work."

"Sounds good," She told him as she wiped the last few tears from her eyes, "Thank you for making breakfast."

"You're welcome," Michael told her as he dished up their plates, "You deserved it."

...

When she finally got a break at the office, Rory took out her cell phone to call her mom. She needed to let her know that everything with Michael was okay. When Lorelai didn't answer, she decided to leave a mesage.

"Hey mom, it's me," Rory started, "I just wanted to say that you're right, everything is fine, it really was just all one big misunderstanding. Michael's cell died and he had to work late last night. I'm sorry for the freak out. Call me back later. Love you, bye."

"What was that about?" Andrea questioned as she walked into Rory's office, her hands placed firmly on her hips as she waited for her friend's response. She really hoped Michael had finally slipped up, then she could finally convince Rory to break up with him.

"Oh, I just freaked on my mom last night," Rory explained nonchalantly, "I was just calling to let her know that it's all good now."

"Does this have anything to do with the thing that wasn't bothering you yesterday?" Andrea asked as she rolled her eyes. She could have called it.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it does," Rory admitted, "But like I said, it's all good now. Do you need me to escort you back to your office, or do you think you can find your way all by yourself?"

"I think I've figured it out by now," Andrea laughed, "But if you see that I haven't made it there in 10 minutes, come look for me."

"Do you want to have lunch together today?" Rory asked as she swiveled her chair back around.

"Sure," Andrea agreed as she walked out, "I'll see you at noon, girly."

...

"So are you going to tell me what really happened, or do I need to beg?" Andrea asked as she and Rory sat at their usual table.

"Nothing happened, Andrea," Rory sighed, "Do you always have to be so dramatic?"

"I'm just worried about you," Her best friend pleaded with her, "Did something happen that I need to know about?"

"No, nothing happened," Rory repeated, "I am fine. I was tired and emotion and freaked out for no reason, but that's about it. And no, Michael didn't do anything, so give it a rest."

"Fine," The young blonde sighed as she reluctantly gave up. "Are you meeting up with us for karaoke tonight?"

"What?" Rory asked as she took put down her burger, "Karaoke tonight? Since when?"

"Since it's the last Friday of the month," Andrea reminded her, "And that's been karaoke night for the last year and a half."

"Is it really? Already?" Rory questioned, "I guess I forgot what day it was. I already have plans, sorry."

"Oh come on, this is the second month in a row you've missed it because of your jerk boyfriend!" Her best friend exclaimed as she threw her food back on her plate and slumped back in her chair. "You never do anything fun anymore."

"No true!" Rory argued, "And Michael is not a jerk. I don't know what he ever did to piss you off, but you need to back off."

"Fine, whatever, just promise me you'll come next month," Andrea sighed as she stood up and started to put her jacket back on.

"Of course," Rory assured her as she pulled her phone out of her purse, "I promise not to forget next time. I'll put it on my calendar right now if you want."

...

Rory sighed as she slid into the front seat of her car. She threw her purse down on the passenger seat and took a deep breathe, it had been a long day. She picked up her phone to see if she had any new messages - Rory had called Andrea to see if she wanted to go out the following night, but so far she had not returned her call. Just as she was putting her phone back down, it began to ring. Anxiously, she looked at the caller ID and sighed again when she saw who it was.

"Hello, grandma," Rory said into the phone, forcing a smile. It didn't matter if Emily couldn't actually see her, she could always tell.

"Hello, Rory, I have a favor to ask of you," Emily said. Rory could her the sounds of her rustling through some papers in the background, busily working on something.

"What do you need?" Rory asked as she checked her watch and hoped the phone call wouldn't take to long.

"Your grandfather and I were having a little get together tonight," Emily started, "I know you are no longer obligated to Friday Night Dinners, but it would really mean a lot to me if you could make it."

"It's kind of short notice, grandma," Rory told her, trying to think of her best excuse to get out of it. A dinner at her grandparents' house was not something that would make her day any better, all she wanted to do was go home, curl up on the couch with Michael, and watch a good movie.

"I'm sorry, but this whole thing is sort of last minute," Emily explained, "I'd really like you to meet some of these people, and I already told them you would be here."

"Grandma!" Rory whined, "Why did you tell them I was coming before you even asked me?"

"Because I thought you would be able to come," Emily stated simply, "And I really need you here. I'm sure you can get out of whatever you already have planned, it would really mean a lot to both me and your grandfather if you could come tonight."

"Can Michael come?" Rory slumped back in her seat in defeat.

"Well, I hadn't planned on him coming, but I could surely ask the maid to set another place at the table," Emily decided, "It won't be too much of an inconvenience, I suppose."

"Thanks grandma," Rory fake smiled again, "What time should I be there?"

"6 o'clock and not a minute later," Emily demanded, "I don't want you showing up late like you and your mother do and giving them a bad first impression."

"6 o'clock it is then," Rory agreed, "See you tonight."

* * *

_"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."_


End file.
